And J.K. Rowling (and Warner Bros.) said “let there be lumos maxima”—as well as the first Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them trailer. And it was good, albeit brief and filled with references to the wizarding world from which it sprang, instead of the Stateside setting for some good, old-fashioned magic. And, as an “announcement trailer,” it’s also very much in keeping with the current style of teaser trailers and trailers heralding trailers, in place of trailers that preview the films.
Eddie Redmayne stars as Newt Scamander, a young wizard from the British Ministry of Magic, who comes to America to meet with a local magic official. He carries with him a Pandora’s box of sorts, an expandable suitcase filled with—you guessed it—fantastic beasts. And like that mythological object, Newt’s valise is soon opened, loosing upon New York City several dangerous creatures that he will then have to track down. In this announcement trailer, we see how his moves and mistakes are reported on by Porpentina (Katherine Waterston) to the Magic Congress Of The United States Of America, as well as how these fantastic beasts destroy Colin Farrell’s apartment. Then Newt tries to reassure Katherine that only a few of these things got out, and then we get the familiar trip around the letters in the movie title. No one is called a No-Maj, though, which is probably for the best.
Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them also stars Alison Sudol, Ron Perlman, Samantha Morton, and Ezra Miller. The film hits theaters November 18, 2016.